I really do like working with the bosc pears -- they're so wonderful and have so much personality.

Luckily, they still feel pretty firm, because I'm supposed to be making a pear tart for my husband. (can you use bosc pears for this? I've never cooked pears before...)

Thanks to my son and daughter for helping me pick the pears with the most personality.

(there really are 13 here -- look for the stems. The two that are hard to find have stems sitting kind of horizontal. :)

Thanks to the lone pear for having to feel so left out in all of the shots:

plus many other incarnations. After awhile, he really was starting to get a bit of a complex. He felt much better when I put them all back in the bowl together at the end of the day. But when we had to reshoot the next day... Well, let's say the therapy is getting rather expensive.

Fabulous, Wendy. You really do have a way with pears. I bet the squirrels are feeling abandoned...

Can you share your light setup? Looks like two.

Yes -- there was a flash behind the group with one of those 8" velcro soft box attachments (there was also a big window on that side, but I had the speed set to 1/160, so I don't think that played into it at all), and then I had a shoot through umbrella set up on the right side, close in, pointed at the lone pear. I have no idea what the settings were -- sorry. I'm still trying to learn flash, so I change things a lot. I really love the shoot through umbrella though!! I need to get another one of those. :)

Fabulous, Wendy. You really do have a way with pears. I bet the squirrels are feeling abandoned...

Can you share your light setup? Looks like two.

Yes -- there was a flash behind the group with one of those 8" velcro soft box attachments (there was also a big window on that side, but I had the speed set to 1/160, so I don't think that played into it at all), and then I had a shoot through umbrella set up on the right side, close in, pointed at the lone pear. I have no idea what the settings were -- sorry. I'm still trying to learn flash, so I change things a lot. I really love the shoot through umbrella though!! I need to get another one of those. :)

A lynch mob! Gorgeous b/w, perfect tones across the range, and the backdrop textures are very complimentary. Perfectly anthropomorphic image. Just because she's got a thing for pears, this reminds me of Wendy's work.

This gave me a laugh so soon as I brought it up. 13 of a random object is easy and uninteresting, but to tell SOME story with 13 whatevers is what gets my vote, and you have done that quite well. Nice lighting, I particularly enjoy the shadows of the "crowd" upon the dejected pear. Nicely done.